Have you ever noticed yourself smiling back at someone who is also smiling? Or seeing a baby smile at you also makes you smile? It's because Smiling is contagious!

Most of us see the act of smiling as a voluntary response to things that bring joy or happiness in our lives. However, it can be the other way around, too. Even faking a smile can improve your mood by instructing your brain to release happy hormones such as dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. Simply, smiling comes with several health benefits, and this is one huge reason people suggest things like ‘laughing therapy’ or ‘laughter yoga.’

Isn’t it mind-boggling how the organs in our bodies and the emotions we tend to feel are so closely connected?

Smiling was the FIRST Habit I changed that made me instantly happier.

I never used to smile; I hated my smile, especially one that showed my teeth. I would have a poker face every day as it became a habit to “not smile.” One day, though, I decided to just smile for no reason; I was so sick of feeling unhappy. I read something in an article once about the science behind smiling. Even when you are faking it, the physical action of smiling, when feeling happy or not happy, can trick your subconscious mind into becoming happier and improve your overall mood. At this stage in my life, I was so depressed and unhappy that I was willing to try anything.

On the way to work, I would force myself to smile in the car. Twenty minutes to get to work and twenty minutes back home, I was now smiling for forty minutes, five days a week.

It was weird at the start. I’m sure everyone driving in the cars around me thought, “What the heck is she smiling so much for?” Funny enough, I became so much more positive and happy for doing so. I smiled all the time, and soon, it became a habit. I then thought to myself, why and how does that work? Am I just smiling? I did my research and found out that smiling is actually a fantastic habit to take on. The following are some tell-tale reasons why smiling is so important.

Action Step

Be conscious today to smile everywhere you go and make it a habit to smile when you're also unhappy. Trick that brain of yours and take control!